Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

F or the first time, Rose landed gracefully in the Osten caves. She had barely stood when fingers intertwined with hers.

Luc.

She gripped back tightly, pulling him into a desperate embrace. Her lips pressed to his, a promise that she would never let him go again if she could get away with it. His returning kiss was just as bold, his tongue sweeping into her mouth as he cupped her face in his hands. The touch of his skin on hers was electric, a power she was only beginning to understand—one she’d spend the rest of their existence studying.

Someone coughed behind them. She broke from Luc and searched the cavern in which Juliette had paid so much. Rose hoped this would be the last time the Osten Point had to visit these caves. Juliette smirked at her, as if she, too, was finally starting to believe it was over. Of course, Juliette and Carter had landed gracefully. Only Darren, still unused to the travel, ended up on his hands and knees.

Luc’s hand slid back into hers, unruffled by their interruption, and led them to where Darren pulled himself off the ground. Luc let his other hand reach for Darren’s. “Thank you. I know that took a lot of trust.”

Darren tilted his head. “I couldn’t say no to the Suden Point.”

Luc let go of Rose’s hand only long enough to slide the gold ring with the onyx stone off his finger. He laughed as he reclaimed her hand and dropped the ring into Darren’s open palm. “I hope you don’t expect that to be the way it works for everyone. I assure you,” he said, looking around the room at the Compass Points, “they had no problem saying no to me…frequently.”

Darren smirked as he stood, wiping the dust off his pants. “That was not pleasant.”

“I don’t want to tell you how many trips it took before I was able to land on my feet,” Rose replied.

“Well, hopefully, that was our last one,” Darren quipped.

“Speak for yourself,” Carter said back in his fae form.

Rose glared at him. “How dangerous is the task you’re helping her with?”

Carter directed his attention to the wall, the first location he and Rose used to journey beyond the veil together. “I don’t know for sure. But I know she can’t do it without me. I also know it’s the right thing to do. Our continent and her realm are connected.”

Rose pulled her hand down her face in a very ‘Luc’ gesture. She agreed with him, but part of her wished it was a burden she could have carried.

“This matches the other side,” Carter said, pointing at the circle on the wall. He floated fireballs around them to light up the room, giving the cave that eerie purple glow.

Luc smiled at her and kissed her cheek. “You won’t get him to say he shouldn’t have done it,” he said. Carter released a breath like he appreciated Luc’s intercession. Rose was far from letting this go, but whatever it was, it was done. The best she could do now was make sure Carter knew she’d help him when he needed it.

“He did what he had to do. Just like I did by taking Aterra beyond the Veil in the first place.” Luc shrugged. “Thank you,” he said, his gaze resting on Carter.

Carter nodded but didn’t make eye contact.

“Do we think this will work?” Darren asked.

“Dear old Dad hasn’t come bursting through yet,” Luc hedged. A mischievous gleam danced in the corner of his eye. “Trust me, he would have if he could. You couldn’t see it, but without Carter—without a veil cat to show the way through—the space between worlds is challenging to navigate. I’m amazed he and I made it through the first time.”

Juliette tipped her chin up in thought. “I can’t believe you gave up the Suden Point seat,” she said, leveling her gaze at Luc. “How do you know that part won’t backfire now that you’re back on the continent?”

Darren’s face squinted in thought. Maybe he hoped this was a temporary position.

“As Rose said, we needed to rethink our definition of balance. When the gods first corrected their mistakes, they left three on the continent with the four compass points. But the scales have changed based on their actions and Aterra’s.” He sighed. “We didn’t want another situation like yours and Zrak’s.”

“You think you can bridge the power gap with Aterra in between realms?”

Luc nodded. “And when I met Darren in Loch… I can’t explain it, but I knew I wasn’t meant to be Suden Point.” He gestured to Darren. “If another Suden of my generation had that kind of power—I couldn’t remain in the position.”

“So, this is what rebalance looks like?” Juliette asked. “Three gods and a demigod on the continent, four Compass Points, and the rogue god held between realms?” Her gaze slid to Carter. “Oh…and a Compass Point inextricably linked with the Lady of the Veil.”

“I think so.” He shrugged. “The Veil and our continent were already linked. Even if Cassandra had let us leave Aterra there, and I was not needed to hold this space between realms closed, I don’t think a demigod could remain a Compass Point—it might be less significant in the face of some of our problems, but it’s an imbalance of its own.”

Rose agreed.

“I didn’t want to bother Aaron since I knew he was already handling a lot, but we don’t have to worry about the Suden test for power being invalidated now that you’re back?” Carter asked.

Luc waved his hand. “No, it’s irreversible. A past Suden can’t reclaim power, even if something happens to the current Suden Point before the next is found.” He smiled at Darren. “The job is all yours.”

Carter, no longer concerned their plan would fall apart, was ready to move them along. The Suden god was held safely in the space between.

“Let’s get going. We may have removed the problem of Aterra, but we need to make the sacrifices and remove the mist plague.”

“Oh, you’re going to love this,” Rose said, squeezing Luc’s hand and looking back at Darren. They hadn’t had the pleasure of the Osten caves yet.

“The way you say that,” Darren said, “leads me to doubt very much that I will love this.”

Rose smirked.

“Here’s hoping this is the last time any of us have to come down here for a long, long while,” Juliette said as she led them out into the ridge.

“That was terrible,” Darren said. “You did that regularly to commune with the Lost God? No wonder you hate him.”

Rose wasn’t sure hate was the right word for Juliette’s feelings about Zrak. From her brief understanding, it was much more complicated than that, but Juliette only nodded as Lela greeted them in the hallway at Osten house.

“Success?” she asked, looking among the Compass Points.

“Best we can hope for,” Carter replied as he left the house.

“You should come with us, Lela,” Juliette said. “We need to perform a sacrifice before we can heal the continent from the mist plague.”

Lela’s eyes widened at the opportunity, and she was quick to drop whatever she’d been doing and follow the continent’s leaders.

The group gathered on the beach in front of Norden house. Some unspoken understanding led them there. This was where they met to do the annual lake refilling ritual. This was where they would unite to sacrifice, to heal the continent.

Arie, Aurora, and Zrak walked out as the group readied themselves on the beach.

“Success?” Zrak asked, echoing Lela’s words.

“With Aterra, yes,” Rose replied. She gave Carter a little side-eye to see if he’d say anything about his commitments beyond the veil. He didn’t, and Zrak didn’t press.

“Now we must heal the continent and take care of the people we steward,” Juliette said.

“Making the sacrifice here should be as good a place as any,” Zrak said, walking to the shoreline. “Do you each know what you’ll give?”

The Compass Points looked amongst themselves. Rose saw Darren eye the ring Luc had given him. They hadn’t discussed the details of the sacrifice. Zrak had shared that information before he arrived. She had an inkling that they were all on the same page. “Something that means a lot to us and our people? Something powerful?”

Zrak nodded. Darren looked at the ring again, and she knew they had the same idea. The gods had gifted these artifacts to the Compass Points at the creation, but each of the current leaders was where they were despite the god’s meddling—not because of it. It was time for the Compass Points to stand on their own.

“I’ll sacrifice Aurora’s dagger.” Rose looked at the goddess as she said it. She was lucky because she’d still have the compass, even after the dagger was gone.

“I’ll sacrifice Aterra’s ring,” Darren said, holding up his prize. “It’s done enough damage from what I’ve learned.” He spared a glance at Luc as if he still wasn’t sure this was his decision to make now that Luc was back.

Luc wrapped his arms around Rose and rested his chin on her shoulder as he said, “All you, Darren. I’m Mr. Norden Point now.”

“Exactly as I knew he would be,” Arie said.

Rose snorted but leaned back into Luc’s embrace.

Juliette pulled at the necklace that always hung around her neck, hidden beneath her dress. The vial with Zrak’s blood. “I guess I don’t need this anymore.” Her gaze narrowed as she looked at Zrak, who nodded.

“It’s still powerful,” Rose said, adding what she feared Juliette wouldn’t, especially with her patron present. “And it still means something to the Osten people. Even if they never know exactly how much you sacrificed to keep them safe.”

Rose turned her glare at Zrak, who coughed into his fist. She noted Lela’s critical gaze tracking the conversation and nodded in acknowledgment of what Rose said on Juliette’s behalf. The glare Lela lobbed at Zrak was one Rose never wished to be on the receiving end of.

“I would do anything for the Osten,” Juliette said. “It was my commitment to myself as Osten Point that I would ensure the required sacrifice ended with me.” She smiled softly at Lela, whose stare was still fixed on Zrak. The familiar catlike grin crossed Juliette’s face as she looked at Rose. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone.”

Those words meant much to Rose. They held everything Juliette wasn’t saying. Everything Juliette was attributing to Rose in this journey, even if she resisted Rose’s actions at first.

“It wasn’t me,” Rose said. “We all had to work together to get to this point. I was just ready to shake up the Compass Points.”

All eyes swung to Carter, anticipating his sacrifice. The Vesten Point loved the Burning Coin more than words could describe, and they all knew it. Receiving the coin was what had changed his relationship with Rose. It was also what had unlocked his ability to access the unique gifts of the veil cat. Rose was sure he would be nervous to be without it. What if he could no longer access those gifts? What if he couldn’t fulfill his promise to the Lady of the Veil?

“Believe it or not, I am confident I can access my veil cat gifts without the coin,” Carter said as if reading Rose’s thoughts. “I like having the coin as a reminder though. A reminder of what we were all like before you brought us together.” He shrugged. “It gives me a goal, something I don’t want to let happen again.”

Rose nodded. “We won’t let you forget that,” she said. “And it makes the coin an even more important sacrifice.”

Carter nodded, pulling the coin from his pocket.

“Alright, if everyone has their sacrifice, we should start a fire,” Zrak said, his head turning to Arie. “Will you do us the honors?”

Arie glanced at Zrak and nodded. They must have had a conversation while Rose and the others were gone. Arie was no longer openly hostile to Zrak. It was progress, but any change to their relationship would take time. Arie tossed a few sticks together on the beach—for optics, she was sure—then set them ablaze. Rose didn’t have to ask what came next.

“Will the magical items burn?” Rose asked. “Not that I’m doubting your flame, Lord of Fire,” she teased.

“Oh, they’ll burn,” Arie said.

Carter moved toward the fire first. With no ceremony, he tossed the coin into the center of the flame. Rose followed, throwing the dagger in right after Carter. Darren gave the ring a longing glance and did the same. Juliette paused.

“It’s been such a weight on me for so long. I don’t know what I am without it.” Her words were a whisper. A conversation meant for only Rose and Lela to hear.

Rose nudged her gently with her hip. “You’re the leader of the Osten fae. The one who saw them through an ordeal they were generally unaware of. One who carried all of their burdens and the burdens of your predecessors with grace and determination.” She paused. “You’re kind of a badass, in case you didn’t know.”

Lela beamed at Rose’s words. Juliette’s eyes lit up as they met Rose’s. “Oh, I’m well aware,” she purred. She took a final deep breath and tossed the vial into the fire.

The flame that followed with Arie’s help was stronger and hotter than anything Rose had ever felt. She had to take a step back from the blaze. It burned and burned, and Rose could see the magic of the items released into the atmosphere.

Finally, she glanced at Zrak. “Do we have to do anything else?”

Zrak’s gaze appeared to track the release of the magic as well. His eyes only moved to hers when she felt a pop and a wave of magic cascade from the fire in all directions. Her hair blew back from the gust of the magic’s release.

“That should do it,” he said.